09/30/2026
Letter to the Editor (in The Advertiser) from Hope Riley:
Intellectual Freedom ideologists have an unnecessarily tight grasp on our valued Caro library.
Thomas Siebert helped develop the contract allowing the director to ban, adding or removing materials into circulation at the request of the board. If she is fired for denying that request, she would receive a pay out of over $32,000.
Suzanne Smith and Thomas Siebert recommended a $9,000 bonus for the director as a reward for writing grants, (11.5% + of her $76,678.36 salary). I motioned to table the topic to research if this was an industry standard for libraries our size, or typical for local leaders like our city manager, police chief, or fire chief. Dawn Branding, Sam Senter, Thomas Siebert, and Suzanne Smith failed to support my motion. They forged ahead and passed the director’s bonus with myself being the lone dissent.
Sam Senter successfully moved to kill my agenda topic of live-streaming board meetings before all the facts were determined.
Please help me restore common sense policies by electing Bob Sturza, Bob Dunham, Roberta Schmenk, Stephanie Spencer, and Jim McLoskey who understand:
-Parents should decide what books are easily accessible for their young children; not just one director with sole control of circulation.
-Sexual education books can be moved outside of the children’s section, and upstairs to protect younger children from exposure, without violating anyone’s 1st Amendment Rights.
-Tax dollars should be spent cautiously after research.
-We should offer live-streaming to be transparent to our voters.
Hope Riley, Board Trustee
